I had heard about Los Tacos No. 1 from a co-worker from mine who is from Mexico - she had told me that the best most authentic tacos in the city were actually in Chelsea Market and I didn't believe her, so I had to try it out.
It looks like the word got out because the place was jammed packed when Holly and I got there but the line does move fast. As a heads up, this place is not actually a restaurant. It's more like a stall or stand because there is no where for you to sit, you have to take your food with you and either find a table inside the Chelsea Market or if you can't deal with the crowds inside the market, find your way outside. Either way, it's totally worth the pain. The menu is pretty simple: 4 different kinds of tacos (carne asada, pollo asada, adobada, or nopal (cactus), the same kinds but in quesadilla form, guac or salsa and chips and then some aguas fresca. Simple and fairly cheap - all the tacos were between $3-3.75 and the quesadillas between $4-4.75. Since I didn't want to get in line again, I went to town and ordered 1 carne asada taco, 1 pollo asada taco and an adobada (pork) quesadilla. Things can get a bit hectic when you order because you have to go to another line after you pay, where you give your receipt to the person making your food to tell them if you want flour or corn tortillas. The next line can be a total clusterfuck so be patient. Everyone is just standing around waiting to throw their ticket at someone behind the counter but once you get someone's attention, your food comes out quickly. I opted to go for 1 flour and 1 corn tortilla on my tacos. There is a variety of salsas for you to choose at the counter as well as limes.
Holly and I quickly ran away from the madness and luckily found 2 seats inside the market. I was a bit skeptical at first that the food would be really that good but after my first bite of the carne asada taco, I was totally wrong. It was absolutely fantastic - the meat was seasoned extremely well and very juicy. The pico de gallo was delicious and salsa verde added some great zest to it. The handmade tortilla was delicious and really held everything together. I was very impressed with its authenticity - you didn't see a hint of cheese or heaping of sour cream on it but frankly it didn't need it at all. The pollo taco was equally delicious. As for my quesadilla, it definitely wasn't what I was picturing - I thought it would be a more Americanized version with lots of gooey cheese - instead this one was actually just like a larger version of a taco. There was no cheese and it wasn't folded in half but the pork was juicy and delicious as well so who the hell cares how it's served as long as I enjoyed it?
All in all, the food is spot on here. It's been a while since I've been to Mexico but I could definitely tell that these tacos were a notch above anything you can find in any of the fancier high end places in the city. For all of you complaining that there's no good Mexican in the city, definitely give this place a try! Total bill: $14 with tax, tip and a drink
Photo Credit: Yelp
No comments:
Post a Comment